Archive of Our Own

Watching his older brother had always amused him, but this day it was exceptionally so. Nie Mingjue was quite flustered, though he tried absolutely not to show it, acting as professional as possible. That was exactly the word that came to his little brother's mind as he watched him dress up and make sure he had everything he should have with him. There was something funny about it, something that made Nie Huaisang wrinkle his nose slightly and the corners of his mouth twitch as he held back a smile.

He was far from laughing at his brother. He loved him and wished him the best, he was glad that he dared to propose to Wen Qing, and in a few hours, the two of them were going to be married. Nevertheless, it didn't change the simple fact that he laughed under his breath, watching how nervous the older man was. Since the previous evening, Nie Huaisang had exchanged countless messages with Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao, informing them of all the stupid things Nie Mingjue was saying.

"You know what's most important in a wedding? Breathing," the younger brother finally stated when they were actually ready to leave.

Nie Mingjue looked at him, wrinkling his brows, and only at that moment did he realize that he had been holding his breath every now and then. As if on command, he breathed deeply, resting his hands on his hips while tilting his head back. He couldn't even tell what was making him so stressed. He was sure of this move, a decision for life, and he believed that Wen Qing wouldn't suddenly change his mind. Despite this, he could still feel the stress, the rising panic.

"We'll talk when you're getting married someday," burbled Nie Mingjue, sending his brother a furtive glance, which however was quickly warmed by a smile. He was happy, and he hoped that his brother would get that kind of happiness someday as well.

"Me?" the younger man asked at once, laughing warmly at the remark.

He had never considered anything like that, spending his time on the run without thinking about what he would do later. He lived basically from day to day and that suited him just fine, never stopping, although it might have seemed strange considering his job. After all, who would have suspected that being employed by a publishing house could bring him such a rush, sometimes working in the middle of the night and driving around the country when it was necessary to promote particular books.

"I hope A-Qing doesn't suddenly change her mind," Nie Mingjue stated simply, and though he smiled at the mention of his future wife, he was clearly concerned about that possibility. Finally, he shook his head slightly, letting them know to leave before he completely managed to forget how he should behave.

Nie Huaisang rolled his eyes, mentally noting that he had probably just won over Lan Xichen, who had assumed that his friend would nevertheless control himself somewhat before the wedding itself. However, there was no indication of that, and although the groom tried not to show anything of himself, his younger brother was sure that he would be preoccupied with what was going on until the very end.

Nevertheless, the younger man bit his tongue, not commenting on it in any way, letting things take their course now. They still had some time, but he expected that all the traditional games might keep them busy for a while longer, so he merely chased Nie Mingjue away, concluding that they had already had enough considerations about this wedding.

When they arrived outside Wen Qing's house, Nie Mingjue was almost terrified. He knew that they were both sure of what they were about to do, and yet he was afraid that if not the woman, then her parents would change their minds. He made sure they had more envelopes than should be enough, then tried the door. Wen Ning, on the other hand, along with her father and uncle held the door firmly, not letting the man inside, though the bridesmaids who were still helping Wen Qing into the room should be doing so.

"You have to pay if you want to come in," the bride's brother spoke up loudly, feeling all the more confident because he hadn't seen a man in person yet. 

Since he started to work for one of the foreign companies as an IT specialist, he had to move close to their headquarters because working from home wasn't welcome. After two years, however, he decided that this form of employment didn't suit him and decided to resign and start working as a freelancer, so he could return to his hometown. His only regret was that he had not decided to do so earlier and had not been able to meet Nie Mingjue.

They watched the envelopes being slipped in one by one until finally Wen Qing's father nodded, agreeing to let the man inside. He and his uncle headed for the door to the room, ordering Wen Ning to join them as soon as Nie Mingjue stepped inside. The man smiled uncertainly, promising to do so, then opened the door, reflexively correcting with his hand the short hair he had combed back for the occasion.

"Let's just say we'll let you in the house," he said, lifting his gaze to his future brother-in-law, who was looking at him menacingly. 

Little did he know that Nie Mingjue was more stressed at the moment than before as he prepared to leave. The groom nodded slightly and entered the house, passing the man to head in the direction indicated. Another door, already leading directly to the room where Wen Qing was waiting, was slammed in front of him, waiting to be ransomed.

"Will you bet me on whether he'll knock another door off its hinges if they don't let him in?" Nie Huaisang asked at this time, putting his arms across his chest, letting his older brother's friends pass in front.

He smiled lightly, with obvious satisfaction, enjoying what was happening. He had always wanted Nie Mingjue to be happy, and right now, everything seemed to indicate that he was just a little short of achieving that state. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to laugh warmly about it, that he wasn't going to simply make fun of his older brother, who was truly horrified by what was happening.

Jin Guangyao still tried to somehow reassure Nie Mingjue by telling him that he had been through this too, also mentioning how many envelopes he himself had to slip through the door, and those weren't few in his wife's house. At the same time, however, he sent an amused glance to Nie Huaisang, letting him know that he was willing to bet. 

Only Lan Xichen seemed unconvinced by these silly jokes. He tried to calm the other two down somehow, until finally he merely overtook Jin Guangyao, standing next to Nie Mingjue, who leaned his forehead against the door, gently pressing the handle, only to discover that it definitely wouldn't open for him that quickly.

Wen Ning looked after each of them with a shy smile on his face, not feeling very confident in the company of complete strangers.  Additionally, the most important one - his future brother-in-law - looked like he could break him in half with his bare hands. Nevertheless, he knew that he should speak up, that it would be good not to suggest a similar solution to the man.

"The door had better stay in place," he finally choked out, answering the question he'd managed to hear earlier, turning to face the last of the entering men, motionless suddenly in the middle of closing the door.

Nie Huaisang looked at the man, smiling cockily at him, and his bright eyes flashed slightly as he tapped his fingers against his own lips a few times in thought, glancing in the direction his brother was headed. He knew full well that Nie Mingjue wouldn't do anything so stupid, but that didn't mean he couldn't start to tease his surroundings a bit. He saw one of the woman's cousins shake his head in amusement, but then Nie Huaisang backed up against the front door on the other side and leaned slightly towards Wen Ning.

"What if he snatches at them...your sister?" he asked, suspending his voice for a moment, unsure that he had hit the mark.

He had already managed to know most of the members of his future sister-in-law's immediate family, so there wasn't much room left for guesswork. He also had to admit that the man standing before him was quite similar to Wen Qing, his eyes seemed to be the same shade of green, but there was definitely less confidence in him than in the woman. At least at first glance, which also revealed how handsome this one was.

As if mesmerized, Wen Ning lowered his gaze to the man's lips, seeing the man slapping his fingers against them. He shouldn't react like this, not on his own sister's wedding day, but there was something extremely appealing about the stranger, something hidden in that amused look and slight smile on his face. He tightened his fingers on the doorknob 

"Jiejie wouldn't be pleased. They would be better off escaping by balcony" he replied after a moment that seemed like an eternity, staring down at the man, feeling a tad abashed by this conversation. 

No Huaisang muttered thoughtfully, finding that it sounded almost like it was straight out of Romeo and Juliet, then glanced towards his own brother again, but didn't feel the slightest need to accompany him. He guessed that the latter would be kept in suspense for a while longer, there was nothing strange about that, and he didn't think he needed to help him with that, especially since Lan Xichen was definitely handling it well.

"Are you going to check the outcome of the bet... Sang-ge?" asked Wen Ning quietly, lowering his gaze a tad, letting him know that he should actually close the door, but couldn't since the man was still leaning against it. 

However, he sounded rather uncertain about his question when he wasn't sure if he actually recognized the interviewee correctly. He had heard that Nie Mingjue had a brother not much older than him, so he suspected that Nie Huaisang was the one he had the pleasure of talking to, though he couldn't be entirely sure.

He also didn't know that Jin Guangyao was looking in their direction, wondering why the groom's brother wasn't beside them, who had just slipped another envelope under the door with an increasingly uncertain look, fearing that he wouldn't have a way to redeem his beloved after all.

Nie Huaisang looked at Wen Ning a little more carefully, and then closed his eyelids, running his fingers over the still open door he was leaning against rather nonchalantly. For some reason, he was somewhat amused by and enjoyed this game of trick-or-treating that he and the other man had just been playing, circling the truth in their own way. Clearly there was something about the Wen siblings that attracted others to them, and Nie Huaisang was definitely not going to run away from that.

"Maybe I should pay too?" he asked quietly, lifting his gaze to his eyes.

Wen Ning's heart lost its rhythm in an instant as soon as the full meaning of the other man's words reached him. He didn't look like he was making fun of everything in this way, or trying to just laugh at him after a second. But despite his own surprise at his words, at this directness, he wasn't going to give up so easily.

"It doesn't look like you're prepared," he replied more quietly, straightening involuntarily, and his green gaze for a moment shone with more confidence than before. 

However, he didn't deny the proposal and didn't turn away, fixing his gaze on the other man's eyes as if to challenge him in a sudden burst of courage. Behind them, Nie Mingjue was finally allowed into the room, where he and Wen Qing were to prostrate themselves and receive her parents' blessing. Although Wen Ning wanted to witness this, at this moment, he couldn't tear himself away from the door, let alone interrupt his conversation with Nie Huaisang, feeling himself getting strangely warm.

The other man muttered thoughtfully, subconsciously coming to the conclusion that he had just lost a bet after all, and then moved his hand over his jacket pocket, reaching up to his chest, where he stopped his fingers for a moment. Finally, he pulled the last envelopes he had left out of his inside pocket, while smiling a little sadly, though his eyes were shining hard.

"I'm afraid that's definitely not enough," Nie Huaisang merely stated. "But perhaps I can find a way to convince you to let me in."

Wen Ning stared at him, not believing what he saw. The envelopes that Nie Huaisang had pulled out, as if he was indeed ready to suddenly buy him out from his family. He smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth, feeling that he had started to blush despite everything.

"You can try to convince me," he agreed quietly, watching him from under half-closed eyelids. 

He felt his heart crashing in his chest and had a feeling that others could hear it too. Through the buzz of blood in his ears, he didn't pay attention to the fact that someone had said his name, too focused on his interlocutor. Suddenly he felt someone's hand on his shoulder and when he turned around he saw Wen Chao with his brother staring at them with a mixture of amusement and impatience.

"Qionglin, why are you weatherizing the house? Let him in, your brother-in-law has already gotten to the bride," Wen Xu spoke up, looking at Nie Huaisang a bit suspiciously.

"I wanted to close them already" Wen Ning started to reply, suddenly starting to stutter, being all red in an instant, which caused his cousins to laugh.

"I'm kind of in his way," Nie Huaisang stated at once, leaning to the side to look at his future sister-in-law's cousins and winking at them with amusement. "I haven't yet found a way to finally convince him to let me in. I have some ideas, but I'm not sure the suggestions in the books I have to edit are the right ones."

Wen Xu snorted with amusement, glancing immediately at his cousin, and then shifted his gaze to Wen Chao and raised his eyebrows slightly, as if to ask him if he too could see what was actually going on. His brother at that time politely informed Wen Ning what books Nie Huaisang was actually dealing with, unable to stop himself from smiling broadly and immediately poked his older brother with his elbow as a sign that he completely agreed with his suspicions.

That was enough to make Wen Ning choke for air, looking at his cousins, then at Nie Huaisang, with growing uncertainty. Until Wen Xu and Wen Chao started poking each other, he had been convinced that the groom's brother was simply flirting with him and saw no reason to run from it. Now, however, he was gaining doubts about whether he had become the object of a joke after all, some kind of book-checking hookup.

"Maybe not necessarily in front of everyone..." he muttered, stuttering under the stress, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Let's just say I'll let you in on the credit," he added, still clearly looking as if he was eager to escape further jokes from his cousins.

Nie Huaisang glanced at him, smiling immediately, and then finally went inside, casually asking the other men if they had anything better to do but make silly jokes. He headed unhurriedly towards the room his brother had gone to earlier, only to look at Wen Ning and raise his eyebrows somewhat questioningly.

He had to admit that when the other man got tense, he seemed even more attractive, though it was hard for him to really explain it. Nie Huaisang, however, knew full well that it would be hard for him to keep his hands to himself, that it would be hard for him to really contain himself, so he began to wonder how he could prove to the other man that surely what had happened earlier wasn't just a silly joke.

He finally stopped at the doorway leading into the room to smile slightly at the sight of his brother and his wife-to-be, and then looked at Wen Ning, who had followed him, only to immediately move slightly closer to him, thus rubbing his shoulder against his arm. He didn't expect this one to be taller than him and definitely better built, but he definitely liked it.

"How big is the credit?" he asked quietly.

Wen Ning looked down at him, clearly beating his thoughts about whether he should answer the question or not. He could still feel his cousins' gaze on him, causing him to lose his confidence. On the other hand, however, he saw no reason why the man should pull a prank. He closed his eyes for a moment, smiling slightly at the corner of his mouth as he decided not to run away. After all, it wasn't every day that he met someone who actually started taking an interest in him right from the start.

"So big that I don't know if you can pay it back," he replied quietly, leaning toward him, so the others couldn't hear them. 

He stared at him intently for a moment, making sure they weren't jokes, that the man had nothing to do with his cousins and teasing him. He moved a bit later, rubbing against him while turning his head away. Wen Ning smiled warmly at his sister, though he wasn't even sure if she noticed him, but he didn't care. He enjoyed her happiness, hoping that nothing would spoil the day and everyone would have a good time. He hoped he himself would be happy as well.

Nie Huaisang smiled, barely discernible with the corner of his mouth, but didn't answer him right away as a small commotion arose in the room. However, while the others were talking, the man leaned towards Wen Ning again, feeling the warmth of his body with him, which was monstrously even appealing, and without taking his gaze away from the other guests, he merely asked him:

"Even for the rest of your life?"

"You can try," Wen Ning replied, placing a hand on his back for a moment before he apologized, joining his parents. 

The older man wrinkled his nose in amusement, as if to say he accepted the challenge, but made no comment. He could push, he could act even less serious, but that wasn't what this was all about, or at least that was his assumption. He wasn't desperate, he didn't intend to look that way, but he had to admit that he was really fascinated, which probably didn't escape Jin Guangyao, to whom he only winked.

The bride and groom received their blessing, and it was now necessary to move to the hall where the reception had been arranged. It came to determining who would go with whom, making sure not to forget the wedding album, and an extra dress for Wen Qing. In the midst of all the commotion, no one paid any attention to the curious glances Wen Ning was sending in Nie Huaisang's direction, agreeing something with his father, and finally approaching the man anew.

"Looks like we're going to a party together," he said with a slight smile, unable to hide the merry glint in his gaze. 

Nie Huaisang's words kept ringing in his mind, the frivolous question about credit, the entirety of their conversation together, the game they were playing. There was something about it that made him curious as to what would happen next, what they might lead up to, whether the man really wouldn't get discouraged once he got to know him better. With a gesture indicating that they should go, he asked if he really worked at the publishing house or if these were just jokes of his cousin.

"I'm an editor. At least that's what it says on my business card, but other than that I have to take care of a whole bunch of other things when there's no one to dump it on," Nie Huaisang replied, having only muttered something earlier about how he had totally not expected this turn of events.

He smiled at this occasion a bit cheekily, also closing his eyelids, as if to ask the younger man, if by any chance he had made this possible himself. He didn't intend to protest, on the contrary, this pleased him a lot and made him more and more happy with this day, now not only because of his brother, but also for himself.

"Looks like I'm not interesting enough to talk about," he added, making a slightly saddened face again.

"It's not like that," Wen Ning replied immediately, smiling apologetically. He immediately began to explain that when he was still working for one of the corporations, he didn't have time to talk at length. He ended up listening more about Nie Mingjue than the rest of their family, but he knew that the man had a brother. Wen Ning added that Wen Qing had probably mentioned where he worked, but he clearly didn't remember.

"I'd love to learn everything again from the source itself," he added a little more quietly, smiling slightly with a glint in his gaze. 

When his cousins and sister weren't around, he was definitely more confident, which was clearly evident. He had not previously responded to the suspicion that he was behind the fact that they were temporarily left alone. He didn't feel there was any need to confirm it. The man had been interested in him from the beginning, and that had not passed.

Nie Huaisang raised his eyebrows slightly and then smiled at him barely perceptibly, only to run his fingers through his hair a moment later, contemplating the answer he should actually give him. He had no problems with telling about himself, but he wasn't quite sure what he should choose to play out properly. This was because he had the impression that Wen Xu and Wen Chao's remarks had somewhat frightened their cousin.

"Would you like to write a book?" he asked then, tilting his head slightly. "You must be careful, then, for I’m in the habit of guarding my authors."

"If that's all you had to watch over me, I can write, but I don't know if I'd be able to write a romance... Do you think there'd be an interesting flirtation between a hacker and anti-spyware?" he asked suddenly, then shook his head, knowing how stiff that sounded. 

Nie Huaisang raised his eyebrows slightly higher, only to snort in amusement, recognizing that there was indeed something charming about the man. Something he couldn't describe well, but he still felt drawn to him, that he would like to see if he acted a little more serious when he was calmer, or if it was the opposite. He wondered dimly if Wen Ning resembled his sister in anything.

The younger man, meanwhile, breathed heavily, running his hand down the back of his neck with his eyelids closed. He thought about what Nie Huaisang had just said and what he had heard from the rest of his relatives, and as soon as he remembered that they had mentioned someone in Nie's family who was leaving quite often and clearly unable to stop, he asked if it was him.

"Because of work, or... Is there another reason?" He added, looking at him closely.

"I always have a lot of things to do. Meeting authors, making sure they get their texts to me, various fairs, meetings, promotions, and I participate in most of that, so I happen to travel all over the country," he replied and shrugged his shoulders slightly, then squinted his eyelids as he looked at his interviewer. "No, I don't travel to someone , it's not one of those novels I have to read."

Wen Ning felt his cheeks starting to get red again, but he didn't avert his gaze, nodding slightly as if to say he liked this answer. He didn't really know what he should expect. The more he thought, the more he tried to remember, the more excerpts he remembered, but they might not all be about Nie Huaisang.

"In that case, all the more credit to you," he said simply, then gestured to him only to indicate that they should leave. 

He himself moved ahead, feeling his heart pounding harder in his chest again as he headed for the car, where his grandmother was also waiting. He opened her front passenger side door, thus leaving the back seat for him and Nie Huaisang. Realizing this, he was glad that his grandmother was still to go with them. He could clearly feel something pulling him towards the newly met man, and he feared that he might not make it to the party for various reasons if they were to go alone. 

Nie Huaisang, still smiling, greeted the older woman, and then looked again at her grandson to ask him if he had really returned home permanently, or if he intended to go somewhere again after all. He didn't press him in any way, didn't require an immediate answer from him, or any assurance that he would stay here and whatever would come of it, but he too wanted to be clear on some things.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wen Ning's grandmother glance in their direction, but he didn't react to it, figuring that he wasn't doing anything inappropriate at the moment, although he had to admit that it was safe to take his questions as an indication of the growing interest that was brewing within him. There were even words on the tip of his tongue regarding the fact that he lived completely alone.

Wen Ning tried not to look in his grandmother's direction to avoid feeling more embarrassed. Nie Huaisang's question was seemingly meaningless, though he got the impression that incredibly much depended on his answer. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing sideways at the man, wondering what the man was thinking about at the moment.

"I'm going to work from home, so until they tell me to move out, or I find something of my own, I'm going to stay here," he answered truthfully. 

He was going to look for an apartment for himself, while also looking for assignments. He had equipment that he could easily move around with, so that wasn't a problem, which he also mentioned, smiling slightly.

Wen's grandmother hearing their conversation laughed, then spoke up loudly enough, saying that the young ones should live alone after all, because she wasn't that young anymore and needed peace and quiet. Wen Ning looked at her carefully, wondering if he had already been kicked out of the house or if it was just a suggestion.

"I guess you need to start looking for a room to rent" Nie Huaisang stated at that, smiling with the corner of his mouth.

He wasn't uncomfortable with what was going on, yet he still tried to remain neutral in all of this, not wanting to lead the older woman to some wrong conclusions after all, if he himself didn't even know what to expect yet. However, he immediately tilted his head slightly, in thought, and then looked at Wen Ning again.

"Actually, our jobs are similar. All you need for it is a laptop," he stated, knowing that this was obviously not the case, but he still wanted to see how the other man would react to it.

"And access to the internet" Wen Ning replied, smiling a little wider. Yes, he required a little more, and he also already knew what the differences were in their professions, but for some reason he didn't see the need to point them out. After all, it was true that by working as a freelancer, he could work from anywhere on earth.

"Are you going to change professions?" he asked after a moment, though he guessed that wasn't what was behind the older man's earlier words. 

He remembered saying how much he had on his plate besides word processing, that more than once he had to leave. He glanced out the window, wondering how long such trips usually lasted, suddenly asking out loud without being fully aware of it. Like being clearly overheard by his grandmother.

"No, I enjoy reading the silly things my authors write when they're having a bad day too much. And reading suggestions for new books, which can sometimes be delightful, " he stated, wrinkling his nose slightly, and then glanced at the other man again, feeling his heart pound harder. "Varies? Sometimes it's a crazy train trip to the other end of the country to put some writer over your knee and knock some sense into them, and sometimes it's three or four days at a trade show where you have to represent the publishing house properly."

Nie Huaisang ran his fingers through his hair, trying to sound casual and not just focus on what was actually the most important thing in this conversation. Not to show everything unequivocally, especially since they had witnesses to this discussion, which should nonetheless come across as decidedly friendly. Only friendly, although the man wondered if he would manage to drag her again to another field, when they would be alone.

"Don't you miss having company when you go away for an extended period of time?" Wen Ning asked faster than he could control himself, suddenly blushing slightly. "Probably not, after all, you're unlikely to complain about a lack of people at the fair," he added immediately, trying to keep his face, especially when he heard his grandmother giggle.

The woman had been listening to them since the beginning, curious if what Wen Xu and Wen Chao were joking about could be true. Now she got the impression that the men sitting in the back seat were afraid to talk to each other directly because of her, but she wasn't going to make things easy for them.

"Nie Huaisang," she puzzled with obvious curiosity in her voice. "Does such an editor earn much? I may be old, but I can read, and I know the language. Who knows, maybe I could still find a job and then a husband? Would I be able to afford to buy him out?" she asked, smiling under her breath as she heard her grandson choking on air.

The older man smiled slightly, glancing up at the woman, feeling completely uncomfortable with the fact that the woman apparently knew full well what he had done earlier. He muttered thoughtfully, only to immediately tap his fingers on his lips until he drummed his nails on his teeth, looking up towards the ceiling. He knew he was acting a bit theatrical, but everything they were doing now was just a game of appearances.

"I think you could easily manage that. Especially if you set aside money for a few years, eating whatever gets ordered for the fair and eating only coffee at the office," he said, closing his eyelids. "But I think it would be a lot easier if, however, you tried to figure out how to write the codes and other magical formulas that make it, so I can send emails to my anxious writers who are crying into my shoulder because they can't come up with a new romance. I think it would definitely be easier for you to buy out your husband and not have to take out a loan," he added, turning to Wen Ning and smiling at him rather cheekily.

The man watched him closely with a gleam in his gaze, ignoring his grandmother's complaints that computers were too demanding technological wonders for her. How true could the suggestion at the beginning of the meeting that perhaps Nie Huaisang should also pay his family be? To what extent were they just jokes, and to what extent an actual proposal?

"No one said I wasn't able to," he said aloud, leaning a little toward the other man. "That's no way to pay back a loan, you know that?" He asked quietly, then straightened up, turning his gaze to the window for a moment. 

Nie Huaisang didn't comment on this in any way, but he welcomed it nonetheless, concluding that he had managed to learn some pretty interesting things. Not wanting to bother Wen Ning any further, he struck up a conversation with his grandmother, trying to amuse her a bit with stories about his work, asking if she had any favorite writers, because who knows, maybe he knew one of them. 

For a moment, Wen Ning still pondered over what Nie Huaisang had accidentally revealed, concluding that clearly the man wasn't eating properly. He should certainly be watched over, though it was strange since he had heard how active his brother's lifestyle was. He never suspected that Nie Mingjue's brother couldn't take care of himself to such an extent.

Finally, the car stopped in front of the hall, where some of the guests could be seen. The wedding was going to be huge and Wen Ning was sure that his sister, like him, didn't know most of the invited guests. He would actually rather disappear somewhere than have to be in such a crowd, but he couldn't not attend his sister's wedding. He wouldn't forgive himself for that.

Nie Huaisang still glanced at him fleetingly, but in the end only smiled slightly, leaving him with his part of the family to approach his brother's friends. For a moment he accosted Lan Jingyi, who was being held in Jiang Cheng's arms, feeling that although the boy was still tiny, he was already giving his parents a hard time. But then Nie Huaisang looked at Jin Guangyao, who had been watching him for a long while, and raised his eyebrows slightly. 

"I know I lost. I was counting on him to really kick down that door," he stated blithely.

"If you'd let him go, then maybe... You seem to have had more interesting things to do, though," the other man replied just as lightly, glancing towards the Wen family, spotting the bride's brother. 

He watched him for a moment, noticing how he suddenly began to blush all over as the larger group paid attention to him. He knew that Wen Qionglin had not been home for a long time, so he was sure to listen to how he had changed and similar remarks. Jin Guangyao looked at Nie Huaisang questioningly, not quite believing that the man was really interested in him.

What neither of them knew, however, was that the reason for the deep blush on Wen Ning's cheeks was her grandmother and her stories about the extremely nice editor who had made her realize that if she wanted to make a quick buck for her new wedding, she should go into computers, only to immediately start praising her grandson who worked in that very industry. He didn't have to wait long for questions about his wedding, when he was planning, and whether he would introduce his chosen one or two to them.

"A-Sang, you remember that this is your brother's wedding, right?" Lan Xichen asked, looking at the man with a slight rebuke in his gaze, despite the gentle smile on his face.

"And you remembered that this was your brother's date?" asked Jiang Cheng casually, smiling at the corner of his mouth, knowing full well that in a moment he would probably notice her husband's reddened ears.

He made no mistake. Lan Xichen put his hand curled into a fist to his mouth, trying to hide his embarrassment by pretending to cough, but his red ears betrayed him. He was a tad ashamed of his behavior the other day when he was supposed to pretend to be Lan Wangji. However, if he hadn't agreed to this bizarre and inappropriate plan, he probably wouldn't have met Jiang Cheng, with whom he was currently more than happy.

"He didn't go to the meeting, so technically it was our date, not his."

"After all, I'm not stealing his day," Nie Huaisang merely stated, falling into his words and laughing warmly, then glanced at Jiang Wanyin as if to thank him for at least understanding him. "Where did you lose your wife?" he asked immediately, turning to Jin Guangyao, turning his attention away from himself rather smoothly, not feeling the slightest bit stunned by what was going on, nor feeling the need to over-explain everything. 

He winked at him as a sign that he knew what he was doing and wasn't going to back down from it, although he was aware that he should slow down a bit. While he didn't want his brother or sister-in-law to be mad at him, he had to admit that his entire body went through chills whenever he looked in Wen Ning's direction.

"She helped Wen Qing, so she'll probably get to us in a while," Jin Guangyao replied smoothly, smiling at Nie Huaisang lightly. 

He could see that he was drawn to the bride's brother, much more than he had been drawn to anyone before, and it was a good thing, though at the same time he couldn't help but make fun of him. He spotted Wen Xu and Wen Chao, who approached Wen Ning, questioning him about something that made the man clearly feel like running away. His cousins laughed and then left, chased by his grandmother, who pulled her grandson behind her deeper into the hall, closer to where the bride and groom were about to appear.

'I think he blushes a lot,' Jin Guangyao remarked, adding that he even outdid Lan Xichen in this.

"Mn," muttered Nie Huaisang, glancing in the man's wake. "It's actually cute."

Jiang Cheng snorted under his breath, then shook his head, wondering if their friend was going to hold back at all or the opposite. Besides, he looked as if Wen Ning had made such an electrifying impression on him that he couldn't stop thinking about him, which caused the archaeologist to look at his husband and mutter in his direction that he looked similar when he came to the university.

Lan Jingyi moved in his arms, not really knowing what was going on around him, but clearly interested in the new people he was following with his gaze as much as possible. He clenched his little fists on his father's shirt, drooling incredulously, occasionally trying to clamp his gums on Jiang Cheng's shoulder.

Jin Guangyao rolled his eyes upon hearing Nie Huaisang, only to immediately laugh quietly whenever Lan Xichen tried to deny that he himself looked the same when he came to the university to ask his now-husband out on a proper date.

"And even if he does, the question remains whether Huaisang will settle for a kiss," he added more quietly, trying to keep his son from getting his husband's shirt too wet by placing a blanket under his head, which the boy immediately began to suck on. The man placed another fleeting kiss on Jiang Cheng's cheek, taking advantage of the others' momentary inattention.

He couldn't help but think back to that crazy day, his own conviction that this was the man he wanted to make his life with, that fear whenever he thought Jiang Wanyin would be leaving for the dig and might meet someone better there. A crazy engagement and an incredibly quick wedding. If indeed Nie Huaisang felt exactly the same when looking at Wen Qing's brother, Lan Huan wished him good luck in his mind.

Nie Huaisang only commented with a warm laugh and a wrinkle of his nose, as if he intended to show everyone that such things were good for children at most. He hadn't even realized at what point Jin Guangyao had walked away from them, but that didn't matter that much to him now. After all, the real party was going to start soon, and he definitely shouldn't hang around out of the blue before wishing the newlyweds well.

Finally, the bride and groom arrived in the hall, ready to receive congratulations from the guests. You could see from Nie Mingjue how happy he felt, proud that the woman standing by his side wanted to become his wife. In his perfectly tailored suit, he seemed even bigger than he really was, which made Wen Ning a little uncomfortable as he, accompanied by his grandmother, approached to congratulate them.

"You two look beautiful! I wish I could get married myself," she giggled, clasping her fingers on Wen Ning's shoulder, who was under the impression that it had been a mistake to go with her to the hall. In the end, he left his grandmother in the company of the elders of the family, and moved away by himself to one of the food tables, from where he could observe the crowd of guests, looking involuntarily for one face.

Nie Huaisang was on the other side of the room, just finishing a conversation with his cousin and wondering what he was supposed to do during the whole party. Yes, he was the soul of the party, but he shouldn't be the one to shine on this day. In fact, he had hoped to spend this time in a more pleasant way, but for some reason he didn't want to look for Wen Ning right away.

He didn't want to impose on him. Because maybe he was doing it after all? He was drawn to find out, but he stayed in his seat nonetheless, rocking his wine glass slightly while wondering if his brother would be able to stand all this flurry of guests so unfamiliar that they had trouble telling who was actually who. Their friends had disappeared from his sight, most likely moving on to one of the tables with food, and the rest of their family headed for the young couple, so Nie Huaisang was left alone.

Wen Ning finally noticed him and couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth. He stared at the man quite intensely, which he didn't fully realize, but also with a slight thoughtfulness. He remembered how he had seen him, his suggestion, then his cousins' laughter, and finally the conversation in the car. The man feared that he had been too direct, however, with his last words, since the man merely got out with a smile and still didn't seek his company. Perhaps he should leave him then? Although there was a chance that the man simply waited for his move.

Struggling with himself, with involuntary uncertainty, Wen Ning took a glass of wine from the table to walk across the room with it, exchanging brief pleasantries with some guests before finally approaching Nie Huaisang.

"Is it the fact that I recently returned, or do you not know most of the guests either?" He asked quietly, leaning a bit towards him. He stood right next to him, slightly rubbing his shoulder against his arm, which he could always consider casual if it appeared that the other man had decided to back off, however.

"I have no idea who most of them are," Nie Huaisang stated amused, then took a sip of wine. "But we can start guessing. You've been thinking about writing a book, here's your chance" he added, somewhat teasingly.

He smiled as soon as he saw Wen Ning, figuring he could credit himself with a point for the little victory. He had wanted to see if the man would approach him, if he would be willing to talk to him further, and now all indications were that he nevertheless also felt like dragging their acquaintance a little further. Nie Huaisang involuntarily began to just wonder how far it would go in the other man's mind.

"Guess...?" repeated Wen Ning clearly uncertainly, looking around at the guests he completely couldn't recall. He spotted a man who looked as if he had borrowed a suit on short notice, forgetting to adjust his shoes, and who was definitely a family member from his cousin's side, or even further back in collegia.

"Maybe he's an uncle... Who until now had been living with... Monks... But he came back, thinking he'd... Find meaning in life as a... Salesman in a small liquor store?" he tried to think of something, suggesting by the man's gesticulations and the quickly refilled glass, but he could hear for himself how lame what he was saying sounded. He laughed quietly, restrained, rubbing his cheek with a finger before looking back at Nie Huaisang with a slant.

The editor covered his mouth with his hand, but his warm laughter could still be heard. He knew that not everyone had a knack for making up stories, but he had to admit that Wen Ning was just terrible at it, although incredibly charming. He gave the impression that he was trying really hard, which was a bit corny for some reason, but even so, he clearly wasn't trying to do anything by force, which Nie Huaisang really liked.

"I think I'll stick with my story after all... A home-grown chef who, in order to earn money for kitchen equipment and products, took up computer science but, fed up with corporations, decided to work as a freelancer" muttered the younger man quietly, swirling the wine in his glass. 

He didn't know how he should pull the conversation so that it jumped into the right tracks, revealing answers to unasked questions. It seemed to him that he could sense the tension between them, and he wanted to check it out.

"So you're the one who wants to change professions?" asked Nie Huaisang actually immediately, referring to their conversation from the car.

He lifted his hand to comb his fingers through his hair, feeling that their conversation was leading in one very definite direction, but he didn't know how quickly he could push it to another track. He didn't want to panic Wen Ning after all, though at the same time he had the feeling that he too felt this tension, that he felt this strange attraction that was impossible to control. And it didn't matter that they had just attended their sibling's wedding reception.

"No," Wen Ning replied immediately, shaking his head slightly. "It suits me to do what I do. Even more so now, as long as I find principals, but there shouldn't be a problem with that. I can then work from where I want and at what hours I want, as long as I can make it... I do like cooking though," he explained, smiling slightly as he paused for a moment, clearly wondering if he should say what he was thinking about. Should he mention that he could easily drive to the other end of the country if necessary without giving up his job?

This was another crumb of information that Nie Huaisang enjoyed. The man murmured something about how such work was definitely comfortable, although sometimes a little crazy, and then added that he envied Nie Huaisang's cooking skills. He freely admitted that he was best at pouring instant soups or heating up ready-made dinners from the stores, only to laugh at the look on the other man's face.

For a brief moment, Wen Ning felt like saying that he would make sure this one ate better and ate wholesome meals. It was something he himself had brought from home and made sure to do, just like regular exercise, given his work mode. In the end, he gave it up, figuring that maybe later, someday, an opportunity would come along to simply show that he could take care of him.

"Besides, I'm supposed to teach my grandmother computer science," he added after a moment with a laugh, remembering the woman's words. 

He bit his cheek as he stared at the man, feeling that this alone was enough to make him want to lean towards him. He didn't pay attention when he faced Nie Huaisang, letting the entire surroundings know that he was the only one he was interested in. Because of this, he didn't see Wen Chao betting on something with Jin Guangyao, although from their glances, one could guess that the bride's brothers were the main attraction for them.

"What for?" asked Nie Huaisang, setting the under-drank wine down on the table, then he smiled slightly, looking directly into the other man's eyes. "Could it be that she intended to find a husband after all? The one she could take care of...?" he added, a bit quieter.

"I'm afraid she's been unusually impressed by a certain editor," he replied softly, his green gaze shining with a fire he didn't want to hide. He held the glass in one hand, clenching his fingers on it as if that would stop him from making a move from which there would be no turning back. "The only problem is, she's not the only one who likes it... So maybe I shouldn't teach her? She'll still get better, and it'll be easier to take him out in the future..."

Nie Huaisang smiled slightly at him, closing his eyelids slightly, and then reached out to carefully take the glass from him and set it down on the table. He brushed his fingers against his palm as he did so, feeling a violent, electrifying shiver run through his entire body that seemed to ignite his skin. He couldn't remember ever feeling anything as intensely as he did at this moment, feeling like he was a frivolous teenager again.

"I like your grandmother," he began quietly, definitely hooked. "But I definitely like you better."

"And I already thought I would have to fight my own grandmother," Wen Ning replied, taking half a step forward, reducing the distance between them to a minimum. 

He didn't think about what he was doing, or if he should, or if he was going too fast. He felt a spark that seemed to light a fire inside him the moment the other man touched him. Wen Ning couldn't stop himself from leaning in and placing a soft kiss on Nie Huaisang's lips. He lifted his hand to brush his fingers against his cheek, not realizing that although the bride and groom didn't see them, his grandmother did, as well as his cousin and Lan Xichen, who leaned over to her husband, talking about what he had just seen.

Wen Ning, not thinking of anything or anyone else as the man in front of him, moved away from him a bit, smiling gently as if checking to see if the man had changed his mind. Immediately, however, he felt Nie Huaisang slide his fingertips across his palm, completely unconcerned that others might have seen them. He guessed that his brother's friends were definitely wondering if he had definitely lost his mind, but if they asked about it, he would only laugh in their faces.

"How do you think..." he began quietly, not taking his gaze off his eyes. "How many guests will realize we're gone?"

"Not many. They have another couple as the highlight of the evening" the younger man replied, glancing towards their siblings for a moment, and seeing that they were engrossed in receiving congratulations, he smiled warmly, returning his gaze to Nie Huaisang. "Are you going to run away from your brother's wedding?" he asked quietly, but as much as he wanted to be there himself for the rest of his sister's big day, he couldn't focus on his surroundings and the other guests, feeling everything pulling him towards this one man.

"Yes," he answered simply.

Many would say that this was utter madness, and Nie Huaisang was inclined to agree, he was even able to say that something similar sounded like it was straight out of one of his authors' books. However, that didn't matter to him now, not when he wasn't really able to think properly, when he really wanted to let what was come about to happen. Just like that, without thinking about what would happen next, without considering how it might end.

Wen Ning shook his head with amusement, but he couldn't say he didn't like that answer. He leaned into the man's ear, placing his other hand on his hip for a split second.

"Lead the way..." he uttered a simple request in a whisper, or perhaps even a command, once his determined gaze was seen. 

He didn't know what was happening to him, because until now he hadn't believed that one could be so enchanted in an instant as to not see the world beyond this one person, and yet it was happening to him. He also knew that his sister would understand, or at least he hoped she would when, straightening up, he gestured for them to leave.

Nie Huaisang looked at him with a shadow of disbelief, as if to ask him if he was absolutely sure about this, and then smiled broadly at him before immediately running his fingers through his hair and actually heading for the exit. He wondered how furious his brother would be once he heard what had actually happened, but it somehow made the man want to see even more of what could actually happen. He felt like his heart was crashing hard in his chest as he walked out in front of the building, and then he turned to look at Wen Ning and just walked backwards for a moment.

"Will you add that to your story, too?" he asked quietly.

The younger man only smiled slightly, as if to tell him to check it out himself, to write the story with him. They didn't know that their exit had been seen by Wen Ning's grandmother, who had decided to help them out a bit if anyone asked about them. They didn't know that Wen Chao had just lost a bet and was still standing, looking behind them in a clear stupor. Jin Guangyao instead pointed towards Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng with a smile of satisfaction, offering a bet on how long it would be before they had another wedding, since they got married after half a year and Nie Mingjue after a year. Only the bride and groom had no way of knowing anything, surrounded by guests who seemed to be never diminishing.

Wen Ning suddenly grabbed Nie Huaisang's forearm, pulling him towards him, feeling that he wouldn't last if he didn't kiss him again. Even if only fleetingly, briefly, as at this moment, somewhat in a hurry. He was still smiling, and his gaze sparkled with laughter. Nie Huaisang tried to keep him with him for a moment, and then shook his head slightly, somewhat amused by his behavior.

"Where are we going?" only Wen Ning asked, ignoring the voice in his head that this was crazy, that this was definitely not how he should behave on this day, but at the same time, he saw no reason why he should back out. It was as if everything was leading up to this very day, this moment, this opportunity that he shouldn't waste.

The other man slipped his apartment keys out of his suit pocket and twisted them in his fingers, raising his eyebrows slightly and smiling amused. He knew the quickest way to get from here to where he lived, after all he used to show up here every so often helping his brother, so now he just headed in the right direction. He liked it better than he thought he would, although he still had to admit that he regretted that his apartment wasn't right next to the hall they had just left.

"At least grandma won't complain," laughed Wen Ning, recalling the woman's words from the car when she made it clear to him that he should look for an apartment for himself, as she was too old to listen to the noise of young people. 

However, a moment after he said those words, it occurred to him that by doing so, he had almost barged into Nie Huaisang's place for the night when it was still quite early. In an instant, a blush crawled onto his cheeks, but he didn't try to retract what he had said.

Walking behind the man, he felt like everything inside him was starting to shake with an unknown excitement. He felt like laughing at what they had just done, sneaking out of his sibling's wedding, almost hiding from the others. He was curious to see what would happen next, and he didn't even mean the next few hours, but the next few days, weeks. It was definitely a long way into the future, but there was nothing wrong with that, or at least that's what Nie Huaisang thought, who had the feeling that despite everything, he had just found himself in one of the books he was editing. There was something crazy and thrilling about it at the same time. 

With amusement, he took Wen Ning to the subway station while asking him if he had ever done anything as crazy, laughing that they might as well have looked like he had just stolen him out of his own wedding. He didn't feel embarrassed by all this, and as he led the man through the narrow streets of the older part of the city where his apartment was located, he even wondered if one of his neighbors would decide to report everything to his brother, as was her habit. 

He led him into the garden surrounding the old three-story building, opened the tall door, and then began climbing the stairs to the very top. Wen Ning at this time revealed that this was the first time he had done something so crazy, if you didn't count quitting his job and deciding to act alone. Climbing the stairs behind Nie Huaisang, he felt his heart pounding harder and harder in his chest. He realized that whatever was going to happen, there was no turning back from it.

"I wouldn't have thought you lived in this part of town," he remarked, eyeing the building curiously while feeling that it suited his companion for some reason. The man was unpredictable, and I guess that was something that attracted him as well.

Nie Huaisang laughed quietly and then opened the door of his apartment, letting him inside, explaining to him in passing that it was more convenient that way. And definitely cheaper, because after all, the premises here weren't considered something of a high standard, besides, he could walk to the office on foot, although of course, it took him quite some time. He wasn't ashamed to talk about this, considering it something normal, the same as the fact, that his apartment consisted in fact from two rooms.

As soon as they stepped inside, they stood in a room that was basically everything from a kitchen, to a study, to a living room and dining room, one door led to a small bathroom, and another led to his bedroom, which Wen Ning was simply drawn to. There were also books everywhere, which made the trek a bit difficult for them.

The younger man didn't resist, glancing fleetingly around the apartment, noticing the bookcases full of books, while being amazed at its relatively small size. Upon entering the bedroom, he laughed quietly, noticing more stacks of books, but didn't comment on it in any additional way. He was already focused only on Nie Huaisang, pushing away any questions about the apartment and its decor.

He leaned in to kiss him, holding him tightly against him as he slid his other hand under the man's jacket, unbuttoning it earlier. It was all like a movie, a romantic comedy to be exact. They had barely met, and already they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and every kiss made Wen Ning want more. It was as if he was a teenager again, just learning what pleasure was.

Nie Huaisang smiled slightly, responding to his kiss by holding him close to her, only to move her hands to his chest a moment later and expertly begin undoing more buttons at his suit. He was completely unconcerned about anything anymore, amused by what had happened, but also greatly pleased by what was yet to come. With genuine pleasure, he pulled Wen Ning into his bed, concluding that this was the nicest wedding he had ever attended. 

He guessed that the other guests had already realized that they had disappeared somewhere, but it didn't interest him at all when he embraced the other man, when he pulled him towards him, leaving nail marks on his back, when he wrestled with him in a decidedly pleasant way, feeling that he was again a frivolous teenager who didn't even realize the passage of time. It was getting darker and darker, though that shouldn't surprise him since it was just the middle of winter.

Wen Ning didn't even think about the fact that darkness was slowly engulfing them, with the light of the streetlights coming through the window. They lay quietly side by side, and he didn't intend to let the other man out of his arms for a moment, as if he was afraid that everything that was happening would suddenly turn out to be a dream. An extremely pleasant, crazy dream. He didn't know that his grandmother had managed to record herself on his phone saying that she hoped he would find an apartment quickly because her grandson couldn't live with her and be worse than her friend's grandson. His phone had been off since the wedding, and he felt no need to look for it.

Only now was he looking more carefully around the man's bedroom, running his fingers over his bare shoulder, his back, drawing patterns mindlessly. He moved his gaze again over the stacks of books, lit by the faint light coming through the window. A large window that must have had a pleasant view, though he wasn't going to check it at the moment.

"Have you read them all, or are they gifts from authors waiting for someone to finally reach for them?" he asked in a quiet, warm tone, feeling incredibly calm.

"I am ill with compulsive book collecting," muttered Nie Huaisang. "Quite a few of them I've never read, some I brought from the publishing house, some are books I get as a contributor, if I may say so, but no, I don't know them all. Maybe someday," he added, closing his eyes and hugging the other man tighter, finding as much pleasure in this as in their frenzied rapture. 

The semi-darkness prevailing in the bedroom was pleasant, he liked it a lot, the silence that prevailed in this place also suited him, and now it was definitely pleasant here. Also, he couldn't hear the notifications about next messages, which came to his phone lying somewhere on the ground, among his clothes.

Wen Ning laughed quietly, pulling the man tighter to him. It was downright perfect, if not for the sudden stomach cramp indicative of hunger. He apologized to Nie Huaisang with a quiet laugh, sliding out of bed. Heading towards the kitchen, he looked around the apartment once more, noting the place that must have been the older man's study, the living room... Everything was intermingled together, in a bizarrely disjointed way for the computer scientist.

He reached the refrigerator, but after opening it, he didn't know what he should actually think. He returned to the bedroom, where he immediately began looking around for their clothes.

"Sang-ge," he began, finding his own jacket and his phone inside it. "You really weren't kidding about feeding yourself coffee?" he asked, and though he tried to laugh, it was clear that he was worried about the other man at the moment.

"Just don't tell my brother," he replied at once, somewhat amused, and then smiled slightly. "I buy ready meals or yogurt, sometimes fruit. I suspect there's nothing in the fridge that would be suitable for you?" he added.

He was aware that he had almost no food at home. A forgotten package of cookies, rice, cereals which long ago lost their taste and a few products in the fridge were enough for him. At least this was his assumption, he didn't have time, nor willingness and ability, to cook meals for one person. He preferred just to put something bought to the oven or eat something at one of the street stalls, than to spend time with pots, which he could inadvertently burn.

Right now, anyway, he didn't care that much. He twisted to the side to get a better view of Wen Ning, concluding that he was definitely attractive, and could spend lazy time just looking at him.

"You don't have anything to eat in it... I'll order something, but you'll have to give the address," the younger man remarked, laying down right next to him, searching the internet for the nearest pub that could bring them anything.

Nie Huaisang only muttered something vaguely, and then actually gave him the address, not wanting to discuss the matter. He knew he was far from being able to say he could fully take care of himself, but it had been a really long time since anyone had been to his house, no one had spent time with him, and when it came to his brother, they mostly ate out or saw each other at his place.

"You know you should eat better? You're just asking to be taken care of," Wen Ning muttered as he placed his order and put his phone down without checking the messages that were waiting to be read. 

He turned toward Nie Huaisang, laying down on his side, propping his head on a balled up fist. His green gaze moved over the man's body, as if searching for signs of ill health. He was clearly worried, though he tried to keep himself in check. After all, they had only just met, they may have ended up in bed, but that didn't mean he could start bossing around his apartment, his kitchen.

"Maybe someone should take care of me," Nie Huaisang replied, laughing quietly, and then lay down on his back and closed his eyes.

He felt tired, actually drowsy, but also a shade of hunger, although surely this was nothing so urgent that he actually had to look for food. Above all, he was satisfied, not to say that in some way he was even happy, although he preferred not to say this aloud, just in case. He knew that some things lasted only a moment, and although he should not, he had long ago accepted this.

Wen Ning shook his head with amusement, then leaned over to kiss him on the temple. He didn't know that it was possible to somehow live on such poor food and still maintain such an appearance and condition. On top of that, the man's words...

"Where can I apply to take care of?" he asked quietly, not much louder than a whisper, feeling himself blushing rapidly. 

However, it was true that if only the man wasn't going to give up everything after this one meeting, he could actually take care of him. See to it that he ate properly, that he found some time to rest. In fact, he would be more than happy to do anything as long as Nie Huaisang didn't have to eat only coffee, running from meeting to meeting with writers.

Nie Huaisang looked at him from under closed eyelids, feeling that there was a lot of tenderness in the man that had not been apparent for some time. There was something warm about it, something pleasant, something that simply associated with safety, with home and peace. No wonder, then, that he lifted his hand to slide his palm across Wen Ning's cheek, smiling at him in the process.

"You've already volunteered," he replied. "After reviewing your request, I agree to it," he added, clearly amused.

"Ah yes?" asked Wen Ning with amusement, putting her arm around him, kissing him greedily after a while. 

He couldn't describe the joy, the happiness he suddenly felt, which he didn't want to give up for anything, much less when he was given explicit permission. He broke the kiss only when the doorbell announced the arrival of the food delivery man, heading for the door, pulling on his underwear on the way.

"So let's start by having dinner together," he suggested, standing in the doorway to the bedroom. 

He left the order he had received on the coffee table in the living room, looking now at the man lying in bed. He had an incredible urge to join him and repeat what they had recently finished, though at the same time he felt starving.

"In bed?" asked Nie Huaisang actually immediately, looking at him carefully, concluding that probably by now the rumor about Wen Ning had spread to the other apartments, through his nearest neighbor. 

Before the man had time to answer him, however, he stood up, stretching heavily, and then picked up his shirt from the floor to throw over his shoulders, accepting without surprise the fact that he was almost drowning in it. He walked over to Wen Ning, and before he could stop himself, nudged him in the shoulder with his nose, then walked over to the other room and sat down in a chair in a Turkish fashion, pushing off the papers and books he had even here from the table-top. 

"If you want to start with that...what comes next?" 

"Whatever we want," the younger man replied, walking over to sit next to him, reaching for the food. 

He tried to hide the blush that had appeared on his face since only the other man had put on his shirt. He ate quietly, enjoying what was happening, trying not to think about what was coming next. At the same time, he couldn't say that he focused easily on such a simple activity.

"Sang-ge, I guess I'll have to borrow something from you for tomorrow, so I have a way to get home," he remarked lightly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. In truth, he had no desire to go home, where questions about where he had disappeared to during the wedding were sure to await him. Unfortunately, there was no turning back from this that wouldn't be an imposition.

"Taste?"

Nie Huaisang merely shrugged his shoulders slightly at his question, showing that food didn't matter too much to him, which he only emphasized when he put the chopsticks aside literally after a few bites. Besides, he had something more important on his mind than wondering if the meal had anything more than nutritional value in it. 

"First, I don't think you'll fit into any of my clothes, maybe a tracksuit, but I'm not sure. Second, you don't have to go anywhere unless you want to, and you don't feel like spending any more time with me. Third, don't talk to me like that, it's terribly ridiculous, I'm not much older than you and I certainly don't look it" he stated simply.

"That leaves SangSang then," laughed Wen Ning quietly, looking at the man carefully as if to make sure he could address him in that way , and he only smiled slightly. At the same time, Wen Ning pondered over what had been said, and instead of politely finishing his food, he simply put the chopsticks aside, his green eyes sparkling.

"And what further plans do we have?" he asked quietly, though he had a feeling he knew the answer and didn't mind. With that, he leaned toward Nie Huaisang for a kiss and pulled him to the couch, not caring that the food they had ordered was getting cold. The only thing that really mattered was their pleasure together and the peace he suddenly felt, the joy of what was happening, even though it was crazier than anything he had done so far.

Nie Huaisang laughed quietly, not expecting this move on his part, but it didn't bother him at all. On the contrary, he was very happy about it, more so than he might have thought. It was no wonder, then, that he let himself be led like this, succumbing to Wen Ning's suggestions, making them himself as well, only letting Jin Guangyao know at some point that they had no reason to worry about him. 

He couldn't quite remember when they finally ate something or when they headed for the shower, spending most of the time in bed, talking or doing a myriad of other things, enjoying it like they were silly teenagers. It felt so good that he turned off his alarm clock in exasperation, only to realize nearly half an hour later that he couldn't be lounging in bed that day, which he actually jumped out of immediately, glancing at his watch.

Wen Ning might have continued sleeping, unaware of what was going on, had it not been for Nie Huaisanag breaking off. He looked at him semi-consciously, wiping his face with his hand, and as soon as he realized that the man was starting to get dressed, he felt quite insecure.

"SangSang? Something wrong?" he asked cautiously, trying to hide a yawn as he reflexively got out of bed, starting to look for his clothes to leave the apartment too, since his landlord was clearly going to leave. He was still too sleepy to realize what day of the week it was and usually people had to go to work, not like him, work from home.

"I have a meeting in half an hour that I can't be late for, or I'll get my head screwed on," Nie Huaisang stated, somewhat amused, pulling on his pants and walking quickly to the bathroom to grab his toothbrush from there. 

When he returned to the room, he pulled out a shirt from the closet, which he threw on the bed, and then reached for his watch, lying on the floor, trying to do basically everything at once. Immediately, however, he looked at Wen Ning, smiling slightly at him, not caring at all about the foam from his toothpaste. 

"The other keys are in the kitchen, in the tea cabinet, if you would need them," he stated simply, about to wipe the toothpaste off his chest.

Wen Ning stared at him with surprise on his face, which was immediately covered by a blush and a slight smile. He stood with his boxers on, looking for the rest of his clothes just a moment ago, but gave up. He walked up to Nie Huaisang, placing a brief kiss on his temple.

"Are you going to make it? I'll check what's left to eat, so you can take something with you," he said quietly, heading for the kitchen. 

He felt strange. On the one hand extremely pleasant, good, knowing that the man wasn't going to kick him out of the apartment, and on the other hand uncertain. Could he really wait for him? Was he supposed to leave while he already searched and give him the keys back by the way?

He hastily completed the food that Nie Huaisang could eat cold, though it was definitely not the peak of his ability. The older man looked at him a bit puzzled, only to laugh warmly immediately, then kissed him fleetingly without thinking about what he was actually doing and muttered quietly that he wished him a good day before hurriedly leaving the apartment. He greeted his neighbor some more as he ran down the stairs, feeling strangely light-hearted and yet incredibly even amused by what was going on around him, what was happening to him, as if he really belonged in one of the frivolous stories of any of his authors. 

He paused for a moment more at the wicket leading to the garden to look up towards his bedroom window and smiled slightly to himself, feeling that in all his life something as crazy, exciting and engaging as these last two days had never happened to him. 

Wen Ning looked behind the man for a moment, closing the door behind him, and then glancing stealthily out the window. He saw Nie Huaisang pause for a moment, though he wasn't sure if he saw him. After that, all that was left was to decide what he should do next. He looked around the bedroom, combing his fingers through his hair, unable to believe what had actually happened. Finally, he reached for the phone to call his parents, to find out that his sister had already left for her honeymoon, and that he could inform them more quickly that he wouldn't be returning for the night. He apologized for his behavior and promised to call back later.

When he finished cleaning the apartment, he came to the conclusion that he couldn't allow Nie Huaisang to continue not eating rationally. Without thinking about what he was doing, he looked in the man's closet for something to wear. He eventually found sweatpants and a sweatshirt that definitely had to be too big for the older man, and Wen Ning preferred not to wonder who it belonged to before. 

He took his keys from the locker and went shopping, not realizing that on his way out he was being watched by a neighbor. The same happened not much later, when he returned to the apartment with bags full of groceries. The news of this spread quite quickly among the other inhabitants of the building, but the IT specialist was unaware of it.

However, none of them reported what was going on to Nie Huaisang, keeping it all to himself, although when the man returned from work in the evening, some of his neighbors greeted him rather effusively, immediately arousing his suspicions. In fact, he immediately guessed that they were all curious about what was going on in his life, but he merely rolled his eyes at that, and then entered the apartment to look at Wen Ning and tilt his head slightly. 

"I didn't know I'd ever meet someone my brother's sweatshirt was almost good on," he muttered teasingly, tossing his keys on the locker by the door before walking a little closer to the man, feeling a deep blush cover his cheeks. "So you stayed..."

"So it's your brother's?" replied Wen Ning with a question, looking down at the worn sweatshirt, and the relief on his face clearly betrayed that he was glad it didn't belong to Nie Huaisanag's former partner after all. He glanced at the man, noticing the blush on his cheeks, which surprised him far more than anything so far. 

"Since I volunteered to take care of you... I thought I might..." he began to reply, starting to stutter. "If I made a mistake, I'm sorry, I'll look for something to rent" he added immediately, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, in an instant losing track of what they both might have wanted.

The man felt comfortable around Nie Huaisang, lying in bed with him, talking, laughing at silly things. He knew that he would enjoy preparing more meals for him, checking to make sure he had eaten everything, making sure he was eating healthy. He just wanted to try, and since their relationship had been incredibly crazy from the start, he thought they could take one more step in that direction.

Nie Huaisang laughed quietly and then threw his arms around his neck, moving a little closer to him while wondering if he was sure he wasn't crazy. Were they both not crazy? He had no idea, because they might as well come to the conclusion in a few days that not only was this crazy, but it was something they didn't want at all. However, they couldn't find out for sure as long as they didn't decide to just try it.

"I seem to have just taken in a stray cat," he said, looking at him closely. "One that likes to sleep in my bed."